LETTER: PPI Joins Groups Calling for COVID-19 Relief for Private Schools

Education
Blog · May 13, 2020

Palmetto Promise signed onto a letter to Capitol Hill calling on lawmakers to give COVID relief to private schools. Some of the requests in the letter include:  “Temporary education tax credit.” Families paying private school tuition for the 2019 and 2020 tax years should get a 50 percent tax credit on that tuition.  “Temporary charitable

COVID-19 Impact Survey: SC Independent Schools

Education
Blog · May 11, 2020

Palmetto Promise Institute surveyed South Carolina’s independent schools to learn how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected them and how they have responded. You can view detailed survey results by clicking here. Here are a few of the survey’s findings: Participation Rate A total of 220 schools received the survey. 157 schools from every corner of

Private schools in SC apply for small business loans as coronavirus threatens enrollment

Education
News · May 1, 2020

Palmetto Promise polled private schools on how their operations—instructional, financial, and otherwise—have been affected by COVID-19. We released the results, paired with projections about the range of potential impacts of declining private school enrollment and possible school closures on public school budgets in a first-of-its-kind SC-specific analysis.   This survey sparked a long-overdue public conversation

South Carolina Athletics League Declares War on Private and Charter School Kids

Education
Blog · April 27, 2020

The NFL draft kicked off last week. The most dedicated of sports fans had that date circled for some time. Commissioner Roger Goodell, safely in his New York condo this year, announced each American professional football team’s pick of the hundreds of college students seeking to play at the highest level of sports.  After each

Homeschooling and Ignorance: Harvard professor faces swift backlash after calling for homeschooling ban

Education
Blog · April 22, 2020

One thing you might not expect from Harvard Law School is ignorance. But that is exactly what we got in “The Risks of Homeschooling” published in the most recent Harvard magazine. All of the old 1980s (1970s?) home education tropes are trotted out: science-hating fundamentalism, lack of socialization, commonality of child abuse, and an unregulated curriculum.

South Carolina private schools uniquely impacted by COVID-19, could help be on the way?

Education
Blog · April 21, 2020

It would be an understatement to say that COVID-19 has disrupted the education of South Carolina’s children. Parents and students alike have had to adjust to the new normal of learning from home, and teachers and school administrators have scrambled to provide instruction from a distance, with widely varying results due to a variety of

Free resources for at-home learning during school closures

Education
Blog · March 18, 2020

Learning from home, especially in this time of uncertainty, is a unexpected challenge for many families and teachers. But working together, we can keep our students safe, continue their education journey…and hopefully have some fun along the way! The resources provided on this page are meant to supplement – not replace – official instructions provided

The Artis Ware story

Education
March 15, 2020

Artis Ware lived to see his grandson, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, rise “from cotton to Congress” thanks to the power of his example.

Evidence from Florida: Education Choice works

Education
Blog · March 4, 2020

In 1998, South Carolina students led Florida students in performance on a number of national tests, including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as “The Nation’s Report Card.” But over the last decade, Florida far surpassed South Carolina in K-12 education outcomes, most notably among traditionally disadvantaged student populations.  Currently, only 0.30% of

A recap of South Carolina’s eventful National School Choice Week

Education
Blog · February 6, 2020

Last week, Palmetto Promise Institute and My SC Education joined states across the country in celebrating the 10th Annual National School Choice Week. Here are some of the highlights from the eventful week. Governor Henry McMaster declared support for K-12 education choice in a new video. “Everybody doesn’t learn the same way. We must give our